David Benvenisti
David Benvenisti, a descendant of well-known rabbis in Thessaloniki, was a geographer and educator; he received the 'Israel Prize' of 1982 for his life achievements in education and geography of Israel, and the Yakir Yerushalayim in 1969.
Benvenisti was married to Leah Friedman from Suwałki, Poland. His sons are: Meron Benvenisti, a historian and writer who was the deputy mayor of Jerusalem for many years; and Refael (Rafi) Benvenisti, an economist and historian. His grandson is Eyal Benvenisti, a professor of law at Cambridge University.
Biography
David Benvenisti's grandfather Shmuel Yosef was the Chief Justice of the Jewish Court in Thessaloniki. In 1913, he immigrated to Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, to pursue rabbinical studies in Jerusalem. In 1918, on completing his studies at the Hebrew Teachers' College of Jerusalem, he enlisted in the British Army's Hebrew Battalion. He served with the battalion until 1920.In the 1930s he and his colleagues established what is now known as Israel Youth Hostel Association. In 1935, he received an M.A. degree in Geography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1948, he fought with the Haganah and was wounded in the battle for Jerusalem.